Port of Felixstowe welcomes new GB Railfreight service

The Port of Felixstowe is celebrating the introduction of a new rail service by GB Railfreight, which will call at Doncaster Railport. This additional service, in response to the growing demand for further rail services from Felixstowe, will operate daily from January 16, 2006. The service will operate out of the Port’s South Rail Terminal.

Doncaster Railport is a new destination to be served by Felixstowe in 2006, and further enhances links with the important markets of the North of England. The service arrives in Felixstowe at 06.29hrs and departs for Doncaster at 11.04hrs.

The service will incorporate 20 cars, and can, when at capacity, remove up to 20,000 teus from the nation’s roads.

‘At the Port of Felixstowe, we have a commitment to remove as many lorries from the roads as possible and transfer the capacity to rail. We are delighted that GB Railfreight has the same commitment, and that together we are able to work towards the same goal. We are working with the relevant bodies within the Government and the rail industry to ensure that the infrastructure needed to fulfil this commitment is brought on stream as soon as possible.’

The Port of Felixstowe handled record numbers of containers in its Rail Division last year, and the total throughput for 2005 was 6% up on the figures for 2004.

There are a total of 25 inbound and 24 outbound trains per day from the Port of Felixstowe’s North and South Rail terminals. These trains link the Port to Coatbridge (Glasgow), Trafford Park (Manchester), Liverpool, Leeds, Cleveland, Birmingham, Cardiff, Tilbury, Selby, Wakefield, Hams Hall, Ditton, Daventry and now Doncaster.